Fiat Pro Ricostruzione. Starting All Over Again

Fiat Pro Ricostruzione. Starting All Over AgainFiat Pro Ricostruzione. Starting All Over Again

​​​On the night of August 24, Giulia - 24 years old - had just fallen asleep. She had spent the evening in a pub with a group of friends. They’d ended up staying out quite late, because after the usual small talk, they’d started discussing a serious topic: how to find a job.​ Giulia was investing in her future: after earning a degree as an Industrial Mechanics specialist, she had begun studying English and Japanese - her passion since childhood.Plus, telling herself “you never know,” a sewing class too.

“I live in Montereale with my parents. We were very lucky. Our home was not destroyed"​​

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​​But sometimes destiny makes decisions for you, and the earthquake on August 24 changed Giulia’s life: since last Mayalong with another guy she has helped run a
free van sharing service created by
Fiat Professional in partnership with
Morini Rent the Italian commercial vehicle rental service.FCA launched the
“Fiat Pro ricostruzione. Insieme per ricominciare”(Fiat Pro Reconstruction. Rebuilding Together.) to help support the residents of the areas damaged by the earthquake. Thanks to this project, in which Morini Rent is the operative partner, earthquake victims can use
​​10 Fiat Professional vehicles – Full back, Talento and Ducato –free of charge to transport goods and other necessities. Fiat Professional is the FCA brand which, in line with its values, supports companies and workers through services and solutions that help their businesses flourish.​

Giulia works in an unusual kind of office: a container located in del Donatore Square in Amatrice, which serves as a point of contact with Morini Rentals for those who need to rent a commercial vehicle. This square has become a kind of “information center,” with a series of containers providing temporary bases for several services: a notary office, a tobacconist, and a charitable organization, among others. There are also various trailers that serve as housing for those who lost their homes. Giulia’s workday starts early: most people who wish to book or pick up reserved vehicles arrive first thing in the morning.

“People here really appreciate the service that has been made available. It’s a huge help for everyone.”​​​

​​​​​The possibility of a
free rental of one of the 10 available vehicles for a
whole day once a week, or a whole weekend once a month, offers a very tangible helping hand to the people of Amatrice and the surrounding area.

The rental requests received during the week are mostly from people who no longer have any means of transport. The six
Talento vans and the Ducato available through van sharing allow residents to take delivery of all kinds of basic needs, or to pick up personal effects recovered from the ruins of their homes and transport them to the prefab houses provided by the Italian Civil Protection Department.

In the Amatrice area, the local economy has largely remained faithful to its traditional vocation for agriculture and livestock farming: cereals, potatoes and legumes – the famous lentils from Castelluccio or Norcia – and cattle, horses and pigs. These essential products have inspired numerous young people to set up small businesses, especially in the food sector. Following the disruption caused by the earthquake, these young entrepreneurs are now restarting their activities, causing an increase in whole- weekend rental requests for the
3 Fullback pickups – the vehicle of choice for the area’s younger generation. The pickups are often used to transport goods to weekend food markets in nearby regions not damaged by the earthquake.

“It’s an important initiative, because many people no longer have a transport vehicle of their own, and until May they had to pay to rent one.”​

The Fiat Pro Reconstruction project is a tangible action that is helping many people get back on their
feet and rebuild their lives.
The most important aspect of reconstruction is not so much that of damaged things as that of damaged
morale in local communities. The earthquake victims have very much appreciated the assistance
provided for all the little things that help them return to normalcy. The request is often the same: “What
we need is urgent and tangible support.” This all comes together in the smile with which Giulia greets
everyone every morning: thanks to Fiat Professional​ she now has a job and is helping her fellow townspeople’s lives
return to normal.